Tempting the Jaguar Read Free Page B

she
    was from, the woman was
    gorgeous. For the first time in over
    four hundred years he felt
    absolutely tongue-tied as he stared
    at her. As he brought his gaze back
    up though, something else struck
    him. “That vampire clawed you,
    too.”
    She shrugged. “Yeah, so?”
    “How did you heal before you
    even put on your clothes?”
    “The same way you’re healing
    now,” she snapped, annoyance and
    some other foreign note in her
    voice that he couldn’t define.. Fear,
    maybe?
    That’s when he realized how
    tired she was. Dark circles ringed
    under her eyes and she’d just
    admitted she’d never seen vamps
    before so he knew she had to be
    reeling somewhat from the shock of
    that revelation. “Ah, sorry. Thank
    you for bringing me back here. I
    know it wasn’t easy to bring a
    strange shifter into your home,
    especially a male of a different
    species. I’d appreciate a shower but
    then I’d like to talk to you about
    some things, namely those
    vampires.”
    She blinked, looking stunned for
    a moment. Oh yeah, he’d get a lot
    further with this sexy woman with a
    bit of politeness. For a fraction of a
    second her eyes strayed to his bare
    chest and lust flared in their depths
    so bright it stunned him. But then it
    was gone and she nodded sharply at
    him, her face a mask of confusion.
    “This way.” She led him down a
    short hallway and motioned inside
    the first door on the left. “Since you
    can stand I’m sure you can take
    care of...everything else. I’ll see
    what I can find for you to wear,”
    she murmured, careful not to touch
    him as she skirted past him and
    disappeared down the hallway and
    into another room.
    He wondered if she’d gone into
    her bedroom. That thought brought
    up visions of her splayed naked on
    a giant bed as she waited for him.
    Rainer scrubbed a hand over his
    face. What the hell was wrong with
    him? He was reacting to this female
    like a randy cub.
    During a very quick and cold
    shower, he washed all the blood
    and grime off his body and was
    pleased to see all his skin had
    knitted back together. After he was
    done he found a pair of large
    sweatpants and a T-shirt folded
    neatly outside the door. They were
    definitely a man’s because they
    were too big for her and that
    thought made an unwanted emotion
    ripple through him. Jealousy.
    By nature he was territorial but
    he hadn’t felt jealous over a female
    in centuries.
    The shirt was snug but it was dry
    so once he was dressed he headed
    back the way she’d led him to find
    her walking in the front door
    carrying the bloody quilt. He
    cringed inwardly at the mess he’d
    made, but she didn’t seem
    concerned.
    “Are you ready for me to take
    you back to your truck?” she asked
    as she dropped the quilt into a
    bundle next to the door.
    “Eager to get rid of me?” When
    she didn’t respond he continued. “I
    told you we need to talk about
    those vamps.”
    She shrugged and wrapped her
    arms around herself as she leaned
    against the closed front door. “So
    talk.”
    Okay, she wasn’t going to make
    this easy on him. “Whose clothes
    am I wearing? Boyfriend’s?” He
    hoped the question would take her
    off guard.
    She blinked those big dark eyes
    in confusion, then snorted. But she
    still didn’t give him an answer.
    Damn if that only rankled him
    even more. “Can we sit somewhere
    and talk?”
    After a pause she said “sure,” and
    nodded to her right and stepped
    into a cozy room with a couch,
    loveseat and giant pillows tossed
    around an intricate teak coffee
    table. The bright reds and oranges
    should have been garish but the
    splashes of color in the room
    complimented the many sculptures.
    Rainer had followed Estrella from
    the art show and realized she was
    friends with the artist when he’d
    seen her in the parking lot. Now he
    wondered...”Are you an artist?” He
    sat at one of the couches while she
    dropped down onto one of the
    overstuffed pillows.
    “I’m a sculptor but I don’t want
    to